Debates of March 22nd, 2021

National Defence

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts.

First, the Prime Minister recently said that he was not aware of the allegations of misconduct. His story changed, since he admitted a few days later that his office had been aware, but that does not make a difference.

The Prime Minister's Office was aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against General Vance, and the Prime Minister, with the support of cabinet, gave him a $50,000 raise.

Why?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, let me be clear that I do not determine pay increases. This is done independently and is based on the advice and recommendations of the public service.

I also want to point out that today the defence committee heard from Stephen Harper's former chief of staff, who stated, “...the Prime Minister's Office is not an investigative body. Senior officials in the Privy Council Office are the ones responsible for interacting with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces with respect to this matter.”

Political staff and ministers currently aren't investigative entities in our system of government

Health

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec will be tabling its budget on Thursday.

Unfortunately, despite the full-blown public health crisis, it will not be able to significantly boost health spending because the federal government is refusing to do its part. That makes no sense at all.

Having seen what our health care staff have gone through, and with a third, variant-driven wave a distinct possibility, the federal government cannot tell our nurses that it will wait until after the pandemic.

Will the government at least announce plans to increase health transfers?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, we have been there for provinces and territories. Whether it is billions of dollars in safe restart agreements, $740 million of which was designated to long-term care, whether it was purchasing protective equipment, whether it was purchasing vaccines, whether it was supporting the payment of essential workers through $3 billion in top-up wages, we have been there for provinces and territories and we will continue to be there for the Province of Quebec.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what we need is higher health transfers. We have to help our nurses and PSWs provide better care to patients and seniors. That is what needs to happen.

Our health care workers do not need to be told what to do. They do not need the Liberals to impose Canadian standards. They do not need politicians to meet 100 days after the election, as the Conservatives are proposing. Those parties are out of touch with reality. We need higher health transfers now, during the pandemic. That is easy to understand.

Why does Ottawa not understand that?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, when Quebec needed the Government of Canada, we were there for Quebec. We sent in the Canadian military to support the care for seniors in long-term care facilities across Quebec. We were there with the Red Cross, making sure that long-term care homes experiencing outbreaks had trained support staff to help the province in a very difficult time for all Quebeckers. We will continue to be there now and into the future.

National Defence

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister learned that his former chief of the defence staff was the subject of a sexual misconduct complaint.

Rather than taking action or investigating, the Prime Minister gave him a raise. That sends a clear message to women in the Canadian Armed Forces that they are not taken seriously and that they are not safe.

Will the Prime Minister apologize and make sure that this kind of situation never happens again?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, our government has no tolerance for any type of misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, and let me be clear once again that when it comes to a pay increase, that is done independently and is based on the advice and recommendation of the public service.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, systemic racism hurts racialized people and, in particular, indigenous people. The RCMP civilian watchdog reached two very serious findings: one, the Boushie family was discriminated against by the RCMP, and two, the RCMP destroyed evidence in the case.

A year ago, the Prime Minister took a knee at a Black Lives Matter protest but has yet to take any action. People are fed up with the Prime Minister's symbolic gestures. When will the Prime Minister take concrete action to end systemic racism in the RCMP?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me begin by acknowledging my deepest sympathy for the family, friends and community of Colten Boushie. We thank the CRCC for its excellent work in providing answers to the questions the family has had.

Let me also acknowledge that in the report, the CRCC addressed deficiencies in several areas of the RCMP response, including the manner in which the next of kin notification took place. I have spoken to the commissioner of the RCMP. She has accepted all of the recommendations and we will work very closely with her to ensure a full implementation of them to address the deficiencies in the police response identified by the complaints review.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when it originally came to light that the Prime Minister had given a half-billion dollar taxpayer funded grant to a group that had paid his family a half-million dollars, he blamed it all on a bureaucrat over in the employment department, saying that his office had nothing to do with it. Well, that was until last week, when it came to light that Craig Kielburger wrote a message to the Prime Minister's senior adviser: “Hello Ben, Thank you for your kindness in helping [to] shape our latest program with the government.”

Will the Prime Minister agree to let his top adviser come to the ethics committee and explain what role he played in shaping this program that gave money back to a group that had paid off the Trudeau family?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we believe that committees do very important work in this Parliament and we have always worked very closely with all committees. Our ministers have appeared at committees and answered all of the questions. We provided the documents that have been requested: thousands and thousands of pages.

My colleague also knows that committees are masters of their own work and make their own decisions, and we will always respect that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are so anxious to see committees do their work that the Prime Minister actually shut down committees and, indeed, all of Parliament for almost two months to stop them from answering those questions. The Liberals then began another two-month filibuster to block questions. Today, when we came forward with a motion asking for Mr. Chin to come to testify, Liberal members showed up and began filibustering all over again. If the government has nothing to hide, why does it not let us open up the investigation and find the truth?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is fishing. We are used to it because he does it on a regular basis. The government will always co-operate whenever it is asked to do so.

My colleague also knows that committees are masters of their own work. They make their own decisions. My colleague is well aware of that because he was on the other side of the House, the government side, at the time. I am sure that, at that time, he respected the autonomy and independence of committees, as we do today.

I hope that he will continue to respect the excellent work done by these committees, which play an important role in Canada's democracy.

National Defence

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on National Defence is looking at serious allegations of sexual misconduct within our Canadian Armed Forces.

These testimonies are important, both for the committee and for the public. However, Zita Astravas, the former chief of staff of the Minister of National Defence refuses to appear.

Can the Minister of Public Safety confirm that his current chief of staff, Zita Astravas, will appear before the Standing Committee on National Defence?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the government believes in the extremely important work that all the committees are doing and supports that work.

We are working very closely with the committees. Our ministers appear before the committees and answer all the questions. We provide the documents that are requested—thousands and thousands of pages. We do that out of professionalism and with pleasure.

My colleague must know that the committees are the masters of their own fates. They make their own decisions. I hope she will respect that.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, understanding who knew what, and when, with regard to sexual misconduct allegations against the former chief of the defence staff is critical to achieving a Canadian Armed Forces where women can serve equally and without fear. As a public servant, Zita Astravas is in service to Canadians. As the former chief of staff to the defence minister, her testimony is required for the defence committee to do its work.

Will the public safety minister confirm when his chief of staff, Zita Astravas, will testify at committee?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we believe that committees do very important work in this Parliament and we always work closely with the committees and keep working closely with them. Our ministers are going there all the time. They are appearing and answering the questions. Very important questions have to be asked, and we answer those questions. When documents and minutes are requested, we provide thousands of pages of them. We do what has to be done. However, my colleague knows very well that committees are masters of their own work. She has to respect that, and I hope she will.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister says that as the Liberals are filibustering at the defence committee on calling Zita Astravas.

We know that the defence minister's chief of staff briefed the Prime Minister's Office regarding serious allegations of sexual misconduct by General Vance back in 2018. The Prime Minister admitted he learned of these allegations before he signed off on a pay increase for the accused general. The women and men who serve us in uniform deserve respect, but all they get from the defence minister are cover-ups. Will the defence minister tell Canadians why he failed to flag sexual misconduct allegations to cabinet before it approved General Vance's pay raise?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, I do not determine the pay increases. That is done independently based on the advice and recommendations of the public service.

When it comes to testimony, the chief of staff of former Prime Minister Harper stated that political staff ministers clearly are investigative entities in our system of government. He also raised the question regarding the Leader of the Opposition and what he knew about the rumours at that time about the former chief of the defence staff.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we know from the testimony today that, unlike the defence minister who pushed away and refused to take evidence and do anything with it, and participated in a cover-up, our government took that evidence and fully investigated it.

The defence minister and the Prime Minister knew about allegations of sexual misconduct against Canada's top generals back in 2018 and refused to investigate. Now we learn that General Vance was given a significant pay raise right after the evidence was brought to the minister. The Liberal government's feminist credentials are a joke. Will the defence minister explain to the brave women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces why he failed to step in and stop that pay increase?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, when allegations were brought forward, they were immediately taken to the Privy Council Office for action to be taken.

We also have questions ourselves right now about what was known in 2015 by the member himself, because he was the parliamentary secretary to the minister of National Defence and also to the opposition leader. Based on the testimony that the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Harper has raised, what did they know?

At the end of the day, what we are going to be focused on is making sure that we prevent these types of misconduct, but more importantly, hold people to account as well.

The Environment

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what members of the Conservative Party think, climate change exists.

What is nearly as disappointing as the Conservatives' denial is the Liberal bill intended to address climate change. The government has set no greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and no interim targets for 2025. There is no independent reporting. Basically, the federal government can continue to do nothing for at least 10 years.

Will the Liberals strengthen this bill, or do they also question the climate emergency?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to say that I agree with my Bloc Québécois colleague for once. Climate change does exist, and what the Conservatives did this weekend is extremely worrisome.

When a major party like that refuses to acknowledge the existence of climate change, it is deeply troubling because, before we can try to find a solution, we have to acknowledge the existence of the problem, and the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge the existence of climate change.

This time I agree with my Bloc Québécois colleague in condemning what the Conservatives have done.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed troubling that the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge climate change.

What is also worrisome is investing $12 billion in the Trans Mountain pipeline, approving 100 wells during the pandemic and offering billions of dollars to the oil industry.

On my right, we have the Conservatives, who clearly do not believe in climate change. In front of us, we have a party that says it believes in climate change, but does nothing.

Is there a champion who can tell me the difference between the two?